Uh, these people have no government right now. They get no services. Except for the city water we pay for, the city police and fire protection they get because they are in the police jurisdiction, the city park we’re building for them right now.
Not to mention they all WORK IN THE CITY. What is so wrong with expecting that people who are allowed to earn their living in a city actually live in said city? Especially when they are 50-60,000 people who trend Republican at levels of 80% or more that would create two extra white council seats and which, because of the limited black population in the city, would force the black council districts to become more white and more moderate.
We’re lucky. Our first black mayor is a good guy. I would have voted for him this last time if he had been opposed. However, it can’t last forever and based on who the other blacks that could be mayor are I really want our next mayor to be white
And it’s not really taking it by force, exactly. The police jurisdiction is defined in state law. We have to provide those services to them. Same with fire protection. We did manage to annex their business district so they wouldn’t have the tax revenue to incorporate but they still resist residential annexation.
I want their votes in the city. I want the city council districts they’d add. And I’d like to point out that they get almost every service we get in the city except for free garbage pickup. We city people currently pay for their water service. We pay for the roads that get them to work. And we’re stuck with all the ghettoes that go along with being located next to areas where people can work so they can work.
They are city people. They should be annexed. And we will annex them one way or another. Our last major annexation a half century ago was also by judicial “burden of service” action because we couldn’t get a yes vote and that’s what kept us from becoming a hellhole like Birmingham because when we had white flight, it was white flight to other areas of the city. I’d like that to continue.
And annexation here is not worsening any kind of situation. We have the best city services in America.
You are advocating steamrolling the self-government rights of suburbanites because it’ll make your life better — because you “want their votes”; you “want their city council seats”.
They don’t want to be incorporated into the city. Leave them be. If they’re happy without your supposedly great city government, then so be it. A vote was taken. You lost.
They can live where they want. They can work where they want. They can call themselves members of whatever city they want. They can be governed by who they want. Let freedom ring. If you think their situation is better, move there.
>> And it’s not really taking it by force, exactly.
Tell that to the majority whose votes you’re proposing be ignored, and who you believe should be forced into incorporation by judicial edict. And I quote ...
“They should be annexed. And we will annex them one way or another. Our last major annexation a half century ago was also by judicial “burden of service” action because we couldn’t get a yes vote”
I say mind your own damn business and quit forcing your will on people who didn’t ask for your intervention. If this type of nonsense were forced on me, I’d just move farther out (or to a different metro area).
SnakeDoc
And who wants to have to travel 50 miles to city hall if they have city business to conduct, like some of the poor citizens do?
I'm sure you have a fine city, but I can guarantee that you wouldn't want to live in Houston.